Working with "Mr. Ed" was a bit tricky, says co-star

[TJ]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...KG0D3QHMK1.DTL

"A horse is a horse of course, of course. And no one can talk to a horse, of course." This lyric is, of course, from the maddeningly infectious theme song to "Mr. Ed," the mid-'60s talking-horse TV comedy. For those too young to have seen the show (or who don't watch reruns on TV Land), the premise is simple: Wilbur Post (Alan Young) owns a horse that will talk to nobody but him (the voice is veteran cowboy actor Allan "Rocky" Lane). Naturally, this puts Wilbur in an awkward position with his wife and neighbors. Mr. Ed is a wise guy, and the episodes (a very young Clint Eastwood stars in one) often feature that sturdy sitcom subject, marriage. A "best of" DVD will be released on Jan. 13.

Young was a very likable comic foil to Mr. Ed and already had decades of show business experience. A native of Scotland, he had his own radio show in the States during the mid-'40s and then his own Emmy-winning TV show in the early '50s. He's also had a long career as a film actor ("The Time Machine") and voiceover artist (Scrooge McDuck, "The Ren & Stimpy Show").

Q: Do you remember much about the show? It's been 40 years.

A: I remember it very clearly. Those were the happiest times for me.

Q: Why?

A: I had a regular show and it was successful and I worked with a horse. I'd never worked with a horse before, but I ended up being a fairly good rider. I didn't like it at first, but even when the show went off the air, I rode him (Ed) every morning until he passed on.

Q: Was this just one horse they used?

A: Oh, yes. Ed did all his work.

Q: You didn't feel silly working with a horse?

A: No, he was the star. I was the supporting actor. I felt great.

Q: Your lack of ego is somewhat unusual in your profession.

A: I didn't want to do this show when I was offered it at first. I said, "I don't want to work with anybody who doesn't clean up after himself." I lost that ego a few years later when I was out of work. I said, "I'll work with a mongoose, talk to anybody." And so when the show came along again, I took it.

Q: In terms of working with him, was it simple?

A: It was tricky because he moved around quite a bit. I had to get out of the way. It was like a dance. You had to step aside and be graceful and let him get by and still talk. The trainer was one of the finest in Hollywood, and the horse was very obedient.

Q: Did you ever get hurt?

A: Ed did everything perfect the first time. But if something happened and he had to do it again, he got confused. There was one scene where he had to come in, nudge me and pick up the phone. So he came in, nudged me and picked up the phone. Cut, had to do it again and again. Finally he got kind of confused, and the last time he nudged the phone and picked up my arm. I let out a yelp, and it scared the daylights out of him. He knew he'd done something wrong, and he couldn't work for an hour or so. He was very nervous.

Q: The way his lips moved, that was something he was taught to do?

A: I started a lie saying that they used peanut butter under his lip. That wasn't true. The trainer put a piece of nylon thread under his lip, and he'd try to get rid of it, but on cue. He stopped on cue, and he started on cue. That was the trick.

Q: Nice bit of casting with that voice.

A: That was an accident. An old cowboy star, Rocky Lane, didn't have any work, any money, and he was sleeping on the couch of the trainer. We went out to the barn to take pictures with Ed, and suddenly we heard this voice say, "Hey, where do you keep the coffee?" And everybody looked at each other and said, "That's the voice of Ed."

Q: Did the show run out of legs?

A: No, we could have gone on forever, but they had a new program director take over at CBS, and we heard later that he wanted to get rid of the bucolic image of CBS. There were spin-offs from "Ed." One of the good spin-offs was "The Beverly Hillbillies." Then came "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres." He couldn't get rid of "Hillbillies" because that was a No. 1 show, but he canceled the others because he wanted a more dignified (image) for CBS. So it was quite a surprise. We went off with a pretty good rating.

Q: Any idea of doing it on the big screen?

A: It's been talked about. I'm not eager to do anything about it because I think it should stay where it was, a good, lovely show.

[Janice]

Thanks for the article TJ. I really enjoyed it. It's amazing to me how scarce it is to find information about this wonderful show.

[Adamantium]

Wonderful interview. I haven't watched this show since TV Land took it off of the 5 & 5:30 timeslot. I'll buy the "Best Of" release on DVD once I get some money, although I really hope they later release the full season.

Alan Young seems like a really nice guy, and I love it when one of my favorite actors turns out to be nice. Also, I knew they used nylon to get Mister Ed to talk, because in one scene, I could see it moving. I had to rewind the tape and watch it again, sure enough there it was. I think it was Gordon Kirkwood's first episode.

[Pitooey]

And all this time I really thought it was peanut butter... I viewed this show (not too long ago) and I
tried to figure out how Mr. Ed spoke with peanut butter under his lip. I remember questioning it Now I know.

[treky]

I knew it was nylon, but I thought it was a rolled-up stocking. That's what it said in a book I used to have with lyrics to a lot of shows, both old and new (it was published in the late 80s, and one of the themes they had was "Cheers") and with each theme, they also had a little info. about each show. Just proves, don't beleive everything you read!

[comedyfreak]

That was a good article, too bad stupid program director got his way. They should have left the programs alone as long as they were doing so well.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

....the demise of "MISTER ED" coincided with the departure of James Aubrey, the chief programmer of CBS [aka "The Smiling Cobra"], who was probably the show's #1 booster. He "bought" the show in 1961, after its first season in national syndication, and it usually aired on Sunday nights at 6:30pm(et), just before "LASSIE"- a good combination. After Aubrey was fired in February 1965, other CBS executives just didn't seem as interested in "MISTER ED", even though they had a contract with Filmways for another season. In the fall of 1965, they "buried" it on Sunday afternoons at 5pm(et), just before "TED MACK'S ORIGINAL AMATEUR HOUR"- not a very good time period for a situation comedy, AND opposite pro football games on NBC. Then there was the matter of ordering just 13 episodes that season, instead of 26 or more. When this happens, you KNOW the network don't want you anymore!
This is why "MISTER ED" quietly left CBS in September 1966, and went straight into local reruns.

And the funny part of it was, Alan Young didn't WANT to appear in the series.
He first told George Burns "no" in 1957- the original pilot {"THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WILBUR POPE"} was produced starring Scott McKay in 1958 and featured a different horse, but no takers- and tried to say "no" again in 1960, but a career slump forced him to accept the role of "Wilbur Post" [Wilbur's original name in Walter Brooks' SATURDAY EVENING POST stories about "Mr. Ed" in the '40s WAS "Pope"; "Carlotta" became "Carol" for the TV show]. I think Alan knew what he was in for. After all, Donald O'Connor, appearing opposite "Francis The Talking Mule" in Universal's theatrical features between 1950 and '55 (also directed by Arthur Lubin), explained why HE left before the last movie: "When you've made six pictures and the mule still gets more fan mail than YOU do...". Young KNEW the horse was the "star", and made the best of it.

As for Allan "Rocky" Lane, I think Arthur Lubin knew the similarities in HIS voice and the one used for "Francis"- Chill Wills- and cast him accordingly.
However, as with Wills, Rocky wanted no on-screen credit.

[EmpressDR]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

....As for Allan "Rocky" Lane, I think Arthur Lubin knew the similarities in HIS voice and the one used for "Francis"- Chill Wills- and cast him accordingly.
However, as with Wills, Rocky wanted no on-screen credit.

I thought it was Allan Rocky Lane who did the voice for Francis, too. It sounds the same. I saw Chill Wills on 1970s shows ( including Johnny Carson's Tonight Show ), and he had a high-pitched old man's voice. But I did see him in Francis Joins the WACs playing the sound-alike general.
But some sources DO say Rocky did Francis, too.


OK, checking other sources, I see a record album cover with Chill Wills credited as Francis' voice. But the same producer for both --Arthur Lubin --likely chose Rocky for the similar voice.


Wasn't it Fred Silverman who canceled all the rural series? That bastard. I laughed when he fell from grace.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...was not employed by CBS at the time "MISTER ED" was cancelled in 1966,
'Empress'. That was the final decision of then CBS president John Schneider-
and the reason, was because Jim Aubrey, Schnieder's predecessor, had originally bought the show for the network, following its first syndicated season in 1961. After Aubrey was fired from CBS in February 1965, there was an effort by Schneider and his associates to ease the "fringe" shows Aubrey had scheduled [i.e. the ones that weren't doing very well] off the network {a prime example was a pilot he had bought from Jack Webb for CBS that February, featuring Polly Bergen as "SELENA MEAD", which was scheduled to appear after "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW" on Monday nights that fall. After Aubrey's departure, it was decided that the network would bring "HAZEL" over from NBC to fill that 9:30 time slot instead, and "SELENA MEAD" never became a series}. In "MISTER ED"'s case, there was a contract with Filmways (Aubrey's biggest supplier of hit shows, including "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES") requiring another season. CBS honored that agreement...by cutting the number of ordered episodes from 26 to 13, and showing it late Sunday afternoons at 5pm(et), just before "TED MACK'S ORIGINAL AMATEUR HOUR". That just about killed any chance of "ED"'s return for another season...even in color!

[EmpressDR]

Yeah, but Fred Silverman DID cancel Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and Hee Haw. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_purge



Rural purge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The "Rural Purge" at American television network CBS was a series of cancellations of still-popular rural-themed or senior citizen-skewing shows instigated by executive Fred Silverman in 1971, following research highlighting the greater attraction to advertisers of the more affluent urban viewer demographic.

Silverman, disturbed by CBS's reputation as the "Country Broadcasting System," decided not to renew such long-running shows as The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Green Acres, The Ed Sullivan Show, Family Affair and Hogan's Heroes. Hee Haw, The Jim Nabors Hour and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour were all cancelled after just two seasons each. The Jackie Gleason Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Petticoat Junction had been cancelled in 1970 due to sagging ratings. :bsod:

While reruns of most of these shows have aired continuously in syndication ever since, Hee Haw survived another twenty plus years in first-run syndication.

Silverman replaced much of the cancelled programming in 1971 and 1972 with such urban-oriented, "relevant" fare as All in the Family (and its many spinoffs), The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show and M*A*S*H.

Many reference books and websites make the claim that the cancelled shows were still enormously popular when they were axed in 1971. However, Nielsen ratings for the 1970-71 season show that many had actually fallen out of the Top 30.





FRED SILVERMAN

[PlayOn]

Originally Posted by EmpressDR

Yeah, but Fred Silverman DID cancel Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and Hee Haw. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_purge



Rural purge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The "Rural Purge" at American television network CBS was a series of cancellations of still-popular rural-themed or senior citizen-skewing shows instigated by executive Fred Silverman in 1971, following research highlighting the greater attraction to advertisers of the more affluent urban viewer demographic.
Silverman, disturbed by CBS's reputation as the "Country Broadcasting System," decided not to renew such long-running shows as The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Green Acres, The Ed Sullivan Show, Family Affair and Hogan's Heroes. Hee Haw, The Jim Nabors Hour and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour were all cancelled after just two seasons each. The Jackie Gleason Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Petticoat Junction had been cancelled in 1970 due to sagging ratings. :bsod:

While reruns of most of these shows have aired continuously in syndication ever since, Hee Haw survived another twenty plus years in first-run syndication.

Silverman replaced much of the cancelled programming in 1971 and 1972 with such urban-oriented, "relevant" fare as All in the Family (and its many spinoffs), The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show and M*A*S*H.

Many reference books and websites make the claim that the cancelled shows were still enormously popular when they were axed in 1971. However, Nielsen ratings for the 1970-71 season show that many had actually fallen out of the Top 30.





FRED SILVERMAN

This is true. I remember watching E! THS on "TBH" and Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett) said they pulled it because CBS was getting critized by critics saying they had too many "rural" shows. CBS, always caring what critics thought and not going with the ratings, pulled everything that had a tree in it.

[chopperguy]

For some reason, I remember the show where Mr. Ed tries out on the baseball field for the Dodgers and Leo Durocher. With some good trick photography, they make it look like the Horse actually hit the ball and run around the bases and slide hard into home. The first time I saw that episode I fell off the chair laughing. For that matter, being a long suffering Phillies fan...I wish we had him.

[Lee G]

Originally Posted by EmpressDR

Yeah, but Fred Silverman DID cancel Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and Hee Haw. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_purge



Rural purge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The "Rural Purge" at American television network CBS was a series of cancellations of still-popular rural-themed or senior citizen-skewing shows instigated by executive Fred Silverman in 1971, following research highlighting the greater attraction to advertisers of the more affluent urban viewer demographic.

Silverman, disturbed by CBS's reputation as the "Country Broadcasting System," decided not to renew such long-running shows as The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Green Acres, The Ed Sullivan Show, Family Affair and Hogan's Heroes. Hee Haw, The Jim Nabors Hour and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour were all cancelled after just two seasons each. The Jackie Gleason Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Petticoat Junction had been cancelled in 1970 due to sagging ratings. :bsod:

While reruns of most of these shows have aired continuously in syndication ever since, Hee Haw survived another twenty plus years in first-run syndication.

Silverman replaced much of the cancelled programming in 1971 and 1972 with such urban-oriented, "relevant" fare as All in the Family (and its many spinoffs), The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show and M*A*S*H.

Many reference books and websites make the claim that the cancelled shows were still enormously popular when they were axed in 1971. However, Nielsen ratings for the 1970-71 season show that many had actually fallen out of the Top 30.





FRED SILVERMAN

These rural sitcoms all had a pretty good run, mid 60's to early 70's. That was their era. Then as the 70's got underway it was time for some changes. I wasn't really upset when the rural sitcoms got pulled. I wasn't thrilled about it, but 5 or 6 seasons is a pretty good run and it simply was time for a change to new programming. Of all those rural shows, Green Acres has always been my favorite.

As for Mister Ed, it's nice that they have issued some episodes on DVD. But what they really need to do is release all the seasons with uncut episodes. If that ever comes to pass, I would buy those DVD's.

[Bob's TV Treasures]

After the demise of MR. ED, Alan Young was in the pilot episode
of MR. TERRIFIC (another "mister" show), but Steven Shrimpell got
the gig. Alan returned once more in the short-lived COMING OF AGE
with Phyllis Newman and Glynis Johns.

[Schmoopie]

I used to love Mr. Ed! In fact, I didn't even know it existed until I started watching Nick at Nite! That's cool to know that it's on DVD. I'd love to watch it again!

Andrea